


Goldenbird

by The_Elephant_in_the_Pride_Parade



Series: Her Light, His Peace [3]
Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Fluffy, Gen, Pre-Series, first assignment
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-25
Updated: 2019-03-25
Packaged: 2019-12-07 02:45:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18228857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Elephant_in_the_Pride_Parade/pseuds/The_Elephant_in_the_Pride_Parade
Summary: Newly graduated Kathryn Janeway boards her first ever ship. Her Admiral father is just as embarrassing as any other parent when he insists on accompanying her to the ship. father-daughter moments and adorableness ensue.





	Goldenbird

_Age 22 - 2355_

She was perfectly composed on the way up to the space dock – perfectly composed except for the sweat on her palms. She looked down to check every so often that it wasn’t  staining the freshly pressed uniform pants. Every replicated fiber of clothing was in place. Her singular pip (shined, re-shined, and even put under the sonic shower last night) gleamed where it sat perfectly centered on the side of her collar and she held her head high and knew everyone could see it when they glanced at her.

And they _were_ glancing at her, or rather, the person sitting with her. She looked to her left as her Daddy pat her shoulder.

“Getting anti-grav jitters?” he asked.

Phoebe would have giggled at his tone and his ribbing, but she took pride in her control, her composure. In the reflection of the viewport behind him was an image that took her breath away: Her face in a perfect Starfleet officer’s uniform with shoulders straight and not a single strand of her hair out of place. The science blue contrasted perfectly with the command red on her father’s uniform.

_“_ Last chance to turn back and follow your sister to art school.”

“Daddy,” she grinned and shook her head. “Please do me one favor – don’t walk me to my station.”

“What you don’t want your crewmates to know how proud I am of you?”

“ _Daddy_ ,” she leveled her best glare at him and was surprised by how it looked in the viewport – stern and serious and not nearly so dramatic as Phoebe’s teasing always led her to believe. _It looks like a Captain’s face giving orders_ . She looked away as her reflection started to get red in the face. _You’re only an Ensign_ , she told herself. The only kind of anyone she’d be ordering around were the crewmen and the civilian liaisons.

Her father was quiet beside her, staring out the viewport at the _Al Batani_ as they approach the dock. She was shocked to see him take his handkerchief and dab it under his eye.

“Don’t tell your mother,” he said. “We have a bet over who would be the crier.” She softened her hold on her serious façade and leaned in to hug him. He kissed her hair. “Don’t know how I’m going to handle it when you’re a captain heading up year-long deep space expeditions.”

“I’ll always come home for Christmas,” she promised.

“And if you ever can’t you remember: the cardinal excuse. The – ”

“- Temporal Prime Directive.” She couldn’t help the giggle and pulled back, pressing her hand to her mouth as she tried to fix her face back into something neutral and professional and not so girlish and silly.

The shuttle slowed, the tone of the engines changed, and the clang of docking clamps attaching rattled through the packed shuttle.

She leapt up to her feet nearly before they had stopped moving, clenching and unclenching her sweaty hands and trying to fight the nervous butterflies in her stomach.

Her father stood too, and grabbed the white standard-issue duffle-bag that had nearly bowled her over when she hefted it this morning. It was nearly as tall and wide as she was.

“Daddy, no, let me,” she said, reaching for the strap.

But he shook his head, shouldering the weight with a bit of a wince; she was sure his back wouldn’t thank him later. “Not a chance Goldenbird,” he said. “See, there’s not much longer now I’ll be able to help you… Tomorrow you’re out in interstellar space and I don’t doubt there’s dangers out there I won’t be able to protect you from.” He pat the strap of the duffle bag. “Admiral’s and Father’s privilege, Goldenbird. Don’t argue with me.”

So she nodded and bit her lip to hide an exasperated grin. They were the first off the shuttle when the doors opened, the crowd of Starfleet officers parted and saluted the admiral as he walked through, carrying her bag and looking fondly at her as she walked beside him.

Her eyes though were on McKinley station’s interior. She’d seen it before, just a few times. _Never_ this part, where you needed a security clearance and a uniform to get through. The _Al Batani_ boarding process was already well on its way and they joined the back of the line of officers checking in with the ship’s quartermaster.

Before she knew it, the line had moved to them and her biometric data had been cross-checked with her clearance and her polished boots were striding down the grey lined corridors. She had to force herself to match her father’s slower pace as her eyes took in the sleek bulkheads and doors to crew quarters and holodecks and the science lab where she’d be pulling Gamma shift in later that very evening.

Her quarters were on the seventh deck, and as the turbo lift closed she let the grin she’d been fighting split across her face.

Her father was beaming. “Ah to be young and excited by the dull grey bulkheads – last one who did that was your new Captain when they gave him his first ship.” He laughed. “I caught him caressing the desk chair in his ready room too.”

“Daddy!” she hissed. “He was my thesis advisor _and now my Captain_.”

“And he’s been around for dinner regularly since you were ten,” Her father chuckled. “Fine, fine, I shall not tarnish the good Captain’s image with Starfleet’s newest Ensign.”

It was a short trip to her quarters, and she suffered a little when he insisted on setting her bag down on her bunk and shaking hands with her roommates, who got starry eyed and green with envy. No one else had their parents walk them onto their ship. No one else had parents in the admiralty either. She greeted all of them and wondered how many pranks she’d put up with for her father’s earnestness.  

“Now, it seems you have to introduce yourself to your Captain and I have put in a hello to my best friend.” Her father looked positively merry as he ambled back to the lift with her. “Shall I accompany you to the bridge, Ensign.”

“Of course Da-Admiral.” She flushed red.

“Deck One!” he told the computer, and he squeezed her shoulder. “I do prefer good old Dad at the end of the day.”

The lift seemed to rush faster, for it seemed she’d barely blinked and she was stepping out of it and onto the bridge.

_“Admiral On Deck!_ ”

She pulled herself to attention stance as the bridge stood to salute her father, he let them all stand at ease,

And then they were walking up to Captain Owen Paris in the center of the bridge.

“Captain,” her father said, clasping arms with his long-time friend.  

“Admiral Janeway,” Owen grinned and turned to her. “Ensign _Janeway_.”

She greeted him with her formal best and brought herself to attention again.

He grinned. “At ease, Ensign.” His eyes were twinkling. “Before you sprain something.”

“That is my line, in case he forgets to credit me properly,” her Daddy said.

“I’m sure he’d never do that, Admiral,” Kathryn said. “He’s a bear about citations.” And she caught herself and felt the blush coloring her all the way from the neck of her uniform to the roots of her hair as Owen and her father laughed and much more senior officers than her on the bridge stared so hard at her she was sure she’d melt into the deck plating.

“Toured the ship already have you, Ed?” Owen said. Looking towards his ready room. “Care to join me for coffee?”

“Much as I love the stuff, no. Just here to see you off and entrust you with your newest crew member.”

“Shall I escort you to the transporter then?”

“Be best – have a few things to wrap up at the office.”

“Good, Commander, take the bridge.” Owen ordered his XO, he waved at Kathryn. “Join us, Ensign”

She did, silent as they made their way down, and holding herself in an at ease stance. Owen as family friend and professor and now her Captain had seemed a wonderful idea in theory, but now in practice she found herself suddenly tongue tied at where to draw the lines between the three. It was easy with her father. It had been a game since she was small and he was giving her formal titles while she saluted and pretended to have the pips to match. How did it work with a mentor, nearly an uncle really? _I’d better sort out the parameters quickly_.

The two senior officers were quiet too. Then again Owen was always a pensive sort.  She glanced at her father in the turbo lift and saw he was dabbing his eyes again. She felt a swell of emotion in her chest at the sight. But when she ducked her head it was to hide a smile at how light and wonderful it felt to make him so proud.

In too short a time they were at the transporter and she indulged her father with one more hug in front of the transport technician. He straightened on the transport platform and she stepped back and saluted him.

“At ease, Ensign,” he said, as professional as ever. He looked at Owen. “Captain, I don’t need to tell you your gaining a fine young officer in her.”

“That I am. You do me a favor won’t you Ed, make sure my boy doesn’t give Julia too much trouble. Give Gretchen my best. Tell her I’ll bring her that Vulcan tea she likes when we come back as a thank you for letting me steal Katie for our science lab.”

“I’ll do that.”

Her Captain turned to the transport controller to request the transport of one admiral to headquarters, but her Daddy held up his hand before the coordinates were even set.

“One more thing. I know we try not to have too many orders between friends, but I have a most important one for you, Captain. I need you to follow it to the letter.”

Owen nodded. “Anything, Sir.”

Her Daddy’s eyes strayed back to her and he gave a last proud smile and nodded. “Take care of my little girl.”

~ _Fin_ ~


End file.
